PXI systems provide high-performance modular instruments and other I/O modules that feature specialized synchronization and key software features for test and measurement applications from device validation to automated production test.

What Is PXI?

In a PXI system, a chassis provides power, cooling, and a communication bus for modular instruments or I/O modules. You can control these modules from either an embedded controller or an external PC, using one or several of NI's specialized engineering software tools to customize your system.

Key Features of PXI

Accelerated Productivity With Software-Centric Flexibility

Translate your ideas into reality faster with NI’s extensive portfolio of software. This software flexibility lets you customize and reconfigure systems to solve test requirements that evolve over time. Application development environments like LabVIEW and test management software like TestStand along with PXI modular instrumentation provide an integrated solution that simplifies test development and reduces long-term maintenance.

Integrated Timing and Synchronization

You can more easily synchronize modules and measurements using the shared signals on the backplane of a PXI Chassis. The backplane enables PXI modules to send and receive triggers and share a system Reference Clock, all without the need for external cabling. Integrated timing and synchronization help you vastly improve the accuracy of measurements, apply advanced triggering schemes, or synchronize multiple devices to act as one for extremely high-channel-count applications.

High-Performance Processing and Throughput

The PXI platform has grown parallel to the rising demand for processing power and bandwidth over the past decades. It continues to evolve as technology advances by incorporating the latest PCI Express switches for faster data throughput, the latest Intel multicore processors for faster and more efficient parallel testing, the latest FPGA technology from Xilinx to push signal processing algorithms to the edge, and the latest data converters from TI and ADI to continually increase the measurement range and performance of PXI instrumentation.

Wide Breath of Instrumentation and I/O

You can design and implement flexible test systems that can be repurposed quickly using software-defined modular instruments. NI has designed over 600 of the more than 1,500 PXI products on the market with measurement capabilities ranging from DC to mmWave.

Reduced Size, Weight, and Power

PXI instruments contain only the relevant instrumentation circuitry. That’s because central processing and control functions are designated to a shared controller and human interfacing occurs through external peripherals connected to the controller. This modular system delivers performance in a compact form factor that saves space on your benchtop or manufacturing floor.